Chase Elliott made the stunning decision to remove his name from the National Motorsports Press Association's NASCAR Most Popular Driver voting, choosing to step aside in a move mirroring a choice made by his father, Bill, a quarter-century ago. Bill Elliott, who won the award 16 times, famously took his name off the ballot in 2001 following the February death of Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt took the honor that very year.
Now, Chase has ended his own eight-consecutive-win streak by pulling his name from the ballot as voting opened this week. He is actively encouraging his supporters to cast their votes for the late Kyle Busch, who passed away unexpectedly on May 21 after a sudden illness. Chase was only six years old when his father made his historic withdrawal in 2001.
I sense that a lot of our guys will be in for it. Chase stepping up and doing that is probably the biggest start to it to see that unfold.
"Looking back on that, I just always thought that was a really cool and admirable nod to, frankly, one of his biggest rivals," Chase said.
Kyle Busch secured two Cup championships, 63 Cup races, and 234 victories across NASCAR’s three national series. While he often leaned into the role of the villain, he commanded a massive following through his aggressive driving and relentless victories, cementing his status among stock car racing's greatest wheelmen.
"He kind of embraced that villain role, and maybe people totally didn’t like him, but they sure did make a lot of noise for him," Elliott said. "I felt like because of that, and because of a lot of things that I’ve got the chance to see behind the scenes of things that he did for his fans and how much he cared about the sport and his supporters that he deserved to win that vote."
Elliott made it clear that his exit from the ballot wasn't out of concern that Busch couldn't win on his own merits. Instead, he views it as a chance to redirect his family's loyal fan base toward Busch and his loved ones. He called Busch a unique talent whose driving style and absolute hunger to win changed the sport.
Chris Buescher believes this gesture will spark a wider movement among competitors to pay tribute to Busch before the season closes. "It just seems like it could be the last little bit of tribute in this season to be able to do that," Buescher said. "I sense that a lot of our guys will be in for it. Chase stepping up and doing that is probably the biggest start to it to see that unfold."
